“They sent you to me as a bargaining chip, hoping to stop me. They were sadly mistaken. In reality, I just gained something out of their stupidity. It also helps that you aren’t tainted by this world, and I plan on keeping it like that. So my dear Vivian, you were made for this god, and this god will be damned if he let anyone take you from him, including yourself,” he said with dark humor.As soon as he leaned back, all the touching sensation stopped. I was left feeling tipsy and slack-jawed. With or without mark, I was his? Before I could think more about his words, he pulled me by the hand down a corridor and stopped at a living room that looked more like a game room.When we entered the lighted living room, I was surprised to see people. They were mostly large men with fit build and women dressed in black clothing. They were people of all colors and shapes. They all stopped what they were doing as soon as we entered, and stood up to bow their heads.“Alpha Lupus,” they chorused be

When I was in middle school, we had a school trip where I was lucky enough to be one of the few to head over to the temples of Cambodia. Those structures were no joke. They seemed to go on forever in all directions with its halls chipped and covered in vines of roots that had grown over them. They stood tall and gave a peaceful effect.The temples in front of me reminded me of those, and I did say temples, as in more than one.They were positioned like the Egyptian pyramids but built like nothing I’ve ever seen in my life. From where I stood, they looked like a mixture of different architecture; tall towers at every edge and arcs connecting each building like bridges but in a puzzling way. Some parts of the temples were open to the outside; they didn’t have walls as if they were knocked down. From what I could tell, there also weren’t any roof, but I could see a glimpse of what I thought were stairs. The outside seemed to be made up of rocks and bright materials. I squinted my eyes at

I was beginning to realize I had to prepare myself if I was to be around Zaliver. His experiences were different from mine. He knew things I didn’t know about this world or probably even about myself. I pursed my lips at him but didn’t push it.“What about the ‘mate’ thing? How is that going to work between us? Are we just going to go our own ways on this island? You stay on your side, and I stay on mine?” I asked sarcastically, putting my hands on my hips.I was distracted by the smile that graced his face. I and my wolf were deciding wether to respond to his smile or not.“Technically, they’re both mine since I own this island, but if you wish to see it that way, no, you will stay on whatever side I’m on. I won’t deny we are mates, but our bond is a puzzle. The big bad wolf god and an eighteen-year-old pup. What a unique pair,” he said in a wistful, curious tone and closed his eyes.I felt like I was getting to see a new side of Zaliver, but I wasn’t sure if he knew how he was actin

“What?” I voiced out my question. He stopped at a red light and turned to look at me with a weary but serious look on his face.“You wanted to ask me some questions. Now’s your chance,” he said. I thought he had ignored me, but I guessed not. I’d better not waste my chance then.“Okay. Um . . . so, why do wolves’ eyes in your pack turn silver? No other pack has done that before,” I asked, motioning my hand to my eyes. I turned my full attention to him, not wanting to miss any indication or clue. He clenched his jaw before he relaxed completely. He shifted his expression to his usual cold look as if he was bored.“Because no other pack is led by a god. My wolves call upon my strength when in battle, on a mission, or just to show their spiritual respect to me,” he answered.“They call upon your strength? But won’t that make you weaker, especially if everyone use it at the same time? Is that why no one have seen you in years to centuries because you have grown weak?” I asked him.“No. If

I felt like I had rested for a few years when I woke up, but it was probably just hours. I didn’t need to open my eyes to remember. I wanted to get the image of that girl’s head snapping so close to me out of my head. It was even scarier when complete darkness seemed to surround Zaliver with his black eyes and angry expression.I squeezed my eyes even tighter, making the little white spots appear behind my lids, and sighed out loud.I wasn’t sure how I felt at the moment and how I should feel towards Zaliver. Hate him? Fear him? My mind and wolf were at war against each other. While the human side of me knew what Zaliver did was wrong and cold, my wolf was telling me it was the nature of wolves and life in general. Zaliver just protected and acted on instinct when it came to us; his anger was more than what regular alphas would have done when their mate would be put in the same situation.A part of me was convinced to label him a monster, but the other accepted it as justified.Was I